Chips In 2006: A CPU Road MapChips In 2006: A CPU Road Map

What -- And When -- Should I Buy?
So, you know you're going to spend x dollars on processor upgrades next year. But before you begin buying processors willy-nilly, give these buying considerations some thought.

As you begin to formulate a purchase strategy for 2006, keep this in mind: In general, we prefer AMD processors for gaming and other 3D-oriented applications. However, in other tasks such as application multi-tasking and encoding music and movies, Intel processors work better.

With this said, however, it's always prudent to wait for the performance results for newly released CPUs before you buy. Given the new direction Intel is taking later in the year, this is doubly important in 2006.

Intel
Here are three quick purchasing points you should consider for Intel processors:

1. The Pentium D-lemma. Intel's early 2006 release of the new 900 series of Pentium D dual-core processors should result in low prices for 800 series dual-core CPUs. This may present the opportunity to buy high-quality PCs or processors at low prices. The 900 series processors should be faster, but not a great deal faster. Other than the change to a 65nm process, there aren't many differences here.

2. Power users' delight. If you're going to be on the market for a new PC or a new Socket 775 processor in the middle of the year, and price will take a backseat to performance, you should probably wait until the fall or winter and get your hands on a Conroe CPU. This processor should present a marked increase in performance over the current generation of Intel dual-cores, but we won't know until it's released whether it's faster than AMD's Socket M2-based Athlon 64 X2 CPUs.

3. If price is a concern... If you're looking to buy a large number of low- or mid-range PCs or processors, wait until the end of the year, when the new CPUs described above will result in massive price drops for existing Pentiums -- especially if the name changes.

AMD
Keep these points in mind as you map out your AMD technology purchases for 2006:

1. Patience is a virtue.
If you're looking for optimum performance, don't buy anything until the second half of 2006 when Socket M2 -- or whatever it's eventually called -- debuts. The DDR2 support should offer a dramatic performance increase. If you're an Athlon 64 FX devotee, you should cross your fingers and hope that AMD releases an M2-based FX CPU toward the end of the year.

2. For those in a hurry... If you just can't wait to upgrade to a power rig, you should consider buying an FX-60. If you're just looking for some high-end performance to hold you over until the end of the year, consider an FX-59 or FX-57 processor, both of which will experience significant price drops when the FX-60 is released.

3. Sempron-licious. If you're looking for low price points, Sempron is the way to go. Wait until AMD releases the Sempron 3500+, 3600+, or 3700+ (sometime in the first half of 2006) and you'll find a great price-per-performance ratio. (You might also want to consider Intel's low-end dual-core processors, which also offer excellent price-performance ratios.)

4. Still more waiting. If you're bargain hunting, the best time to buy older Athlon 64 or Sempron CPUs will probably be after June. The release of AMD's new Socket M2 should result in substantial price drops for all non-M2 parts.

George Jones is a 14-year veteran of technology and gaming journalism. He's been an avid tech-head since the day he first screwed the plastic lid off his Commodore VIC-20.